Violet Factor
by masamune11
Summary: A "Toward the Terra" fan fiction. It's been several years since Terra regenerate. Tony leads the Mu to live in the planet. The discovery Violet factor interests the Mu leader. However, what's in store for him is rather unexpected. A bit OC centric.
1. Blue

A/N: Years have passed since I have been hiatus on writing anything English… And I decided that it's time improve my English skill once more. Thus, this is how I came to write such silly fan fiction.

And yes, I'm not really good at grammar.

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**Violet Factor**

By: Rieska Verriert / masamune11 / shinigami-no-elie

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**Chapter 1**

_Blue_

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The mild wind past her, waving the blonde locks of hair. The window—the very thing that has always managed to wear her off the boredom arising in the bedroom—revealed the same scenery she had seen for years. The young girl longed for the day she could embrace the beautiful scenery before her. Alas, she would not—the scenery before her will remain landscape.

The blonde-haired girl sighed. She wished to be free from the cursed place. Some people just decided that her existence were rare—a Mü, normally born between other Mü's. What made her special is far from the fact that she is a Mü.

Her thoughts traveled back to when she was considered to be 'special'. Apparently, her psionic manifestation was something considered rare—one that had never been seen before. The manifestation itself had not taken a concrete form. The last time she tried to manifest her power, the psionic energy concentrated from her formed nothing. Ah, to carry the _violet _Mü factor in her gene; she wondered whether it was blessing or curse.

The scent of fresh grass assaulted her nose. Afar, she could see some of the children playing in the seemingly everlasting grass field. Oh, if only she had no such thing as violet factor—she'd be free playing with those kids and made friends with them.

"Melissa?"

The blonde-haired girl turned toward the calling person. The girl, Melissa, smiled. Soldier Tony had always looked after the girl, even though he always had his hands full of things needed to be done. Ah, maybe visiting her is also part of the things he needed to do. Melissa didn't mind; the one person she had idolized was here.

"Uncle Tony! Don't you have something to do today?" The voice was surprisingly soft, but strong. Despite being locked up inside the room all day, Melissa learned a few things on how to be strong.

She could see the pink-haired soldier grinned and kneel so that his head is on the same level as Melissa. "Why, I think it's more important to visit you here and listen to your stories."

Melissa's eye brows quirked. Shouldn't it be the other way around? The young girl fold her hands neatly and pouted, "But you should be the one telling stories to me, Uncle Tony!"

Tony gave her a small laugh, knowing that this always happened. Melissa would great him with such heart-warming manner, and turned pouting just because he teased her. How cute…

"Well…" Tony stood up and gave her a smile. "What should I tell you today, Melissa?" The soldier took her hand and led her to the bed, so that the two of them could sit.

Melissa's eyes were sparkling with hope—scram those static landscape; she could survive even with only Tony giving her stories about the outside world that she might never reached.

"Tell me about…" Melissa looked at the window, toward the endless sky—the space. "How we come to Terra again!"

There was a flicker of surprise and despair flowing through Melissa's mind. Even though she still saw Tony's warm smile, the thought wave surprised her; she was sure it belonged to Tony.

The thought was instant. It went away as quickly as it came, just like a flash of thunder in a thunderstorm. Melissa's thought was soon overcome as Tony's started his story.

"It all begins with Soldier Blue…"

…And Melissa had to pay the story half of her attention as she wondered what the thought wave was before.

* * *

Tony smiled as she watched Melissa fell asleep between his stories. The little girl he knew, the one he tried to protect, and the one and only Mü who carried the violet Mü factor; shutting her in this room is one way to prevent her from danger, or so he thought.

His story had not been finished—Melissa was already asleep by the time he told of the 'Megiddo' occurrence. Half of his being was grateful; He's not sure whether he could tell how the soldier before him—Jomy Marquis Shin—died, without spilling tears.

Before he knew, his mind had already traveled to the distant event, happening many years back—he saw his 'grandpa', lying on the stairs giving him a reassuring smile. And when he tried to reach him…

Tony opened his eyes, realizing the wetness of his cheek. Ah, since when had he been crying? His grandpa was satisfied enough, even in the time of his death—why should he be regretful now?

Tony sighed. He could not lie—he missed the former soldier's presence. He missed his parents. He missed those who had died back then. Those facts haunted him until then, but Melissa's presence eased it out—what had she done to ward off those uneasiness'? Was that the power of the _violet _type Mü?

Tony wiped out the remaining wetness left on his cheeks. He had no time to mourn—he should be advancing to his office and attend another meeting—ah, when the world is at peace once more, his work seemed to be disaster. Gosh, his head is already throbbing now. Was it the air?

... Wait… throbbing?

Tony quickly got up onto his feet. His head ached, but this pain was not the kind he got when he's surrounded with loads of work. This aching sensation happened when a psionic burst happened. Else, there would be a massive amount of psionic energy manifesting near him.

Tony didn't have to look far to see the source of his headache. Nearby the window, he could see a massive amount of psionic energy forming. It was jelly-like at first, before the condensed psionic energy took a form of…

Tony's jaw dropped.

_Soldier _Blue was actually standing before his eyes. His eyes were closed, as though the person had never been dead in the first place. He was standing there, feeling the fresh wind moved his white strands of hair. His eyelids opened, and Tony saw strength beneath the fiery-red orbs.

"…Soldier Blue!?"

The said person nodded. His smile was genuine. "It's been a while hasn't it, Tony? You were still a child the last time I've seen you."

Blue's voice was too good to be true. He was dreaming—yes, it was the best logical explanation he could reach. How come a dead man could still be standing in front of the window, feeling the wind rushing past him?

"But you died—"

"Yes Tony, I'm already dead." Blue said, as though answering the said question of the other Soldier. It didn't surprise Blue at the very bit seeing the reaction which Tony gave, hearing the white-haired soldier just told him something… unnatural for him.

"So, why are you here… Soldier Blue?" Tony asked rather carefully. Surely, the one standing before him is not Blue. Blue was dead, and will never return. The last remaining option was impostor—yes, the one standing before him must be an impostor.

…yet, how come an impostor could materialize like that? He's not using teleportation!

To Tony's surprise, Blue chuckled lightly. "Don't you see?" Blue eyed Melissa, who was sleeping soundly on her bed. "It was her power which called on to me. She called upon my soul."

Tony lifted an eyebrow. The violet type could call upon the dead? Wasn't that supposed to be violation against nature herself? Was such thing even possible? Moreover, this happened when the girl slept, which mean she had no control over her power…

..Right?

"But how come? She's asleep!" Tony pointed his finger upon the sleeping girl form. However, His eyes widened as he saw a violet glow from the girl. She manifested her power while sleeping!

Tony's eyes quickly moved away from the sleeping girl form, meeting the red orbs of his predecessor. "Then… what are you?" The red haired soldier whispered, even disbelieving the miracle that happened before his eyes.

Blue just smiled. "It's me. I just want to pay the girl a visit, since she'd been so lonely… caged, I presume." Blue's smile was replaced with frown. His hands were already folded neatly.

Tony gulped. Yes, the order to 'cage' Melissa came from him. He was also curious about the power that Melissa have. Yet, he never expected such power—the power to call upon the dead—in a Violet Mü factor.

Blue rolled his eyes, before turning his back against the pink-haired soldier so that he could watch the darkness beyond the window. It was merely minutes after the sun set, yet the sky had already changed color drastically. The white-haired former soldier smiled though—this was Terra: the planet that he and his comrades had searched. This was, is, and will be, their promised land.

Blue smiled. He felt no regret, even though he's dead—not after seeing this beautiful panorama.

'_And it's all thanks to the girl…'_ Blue's thought were silent, but Tony caught a glimpse of it. The current soldier could not help but smile. He slowly approached Blue, who was still feeling the wind rushing towards him. Tony stood next to the white-haired entity.

"Melissa is such a nice girl, Blue. Wait until you meet her—not sleeping, of course!" Tony chuckled. He was actually looking forward to see how Melissa would act when she saw Blue's ghost. The first time Tony had ever met the girl turned to be his bad hair day. Oh, his hair was covered with the girl's whipped cream back then, wasn't it?

"…How many years have passed since my death, Tony?" Blue asked. His tone was actually quite calm, despite the probability that his question would bring back memories. Tony, who tried to keep his composure, cocked his head away from Blue.

"70 years. Grandp—Jomy fulfilled your request splendidly, as we reached this planet 55 years ago." Tony said quite calmly. Yet, inside of his mind, pictures from the pasts kept rolling—memories of all those years sealed within his heart were summoned once more.

There was silence.

"I see…"

Blue's reply was so short that, yet again, another silence fell upon the room. Neither of them spoke, not because of the eerie sensation forming between them—the moon hanging on the sky was actually so breath-taking for both men that they momentarily forgot how to speak.

"The moon… It's beautiful." Tony murmured. This the first time in months that he could actually see the moon without being disturbed by the piling papers on his desk.

Tony could hear the other man chuckled lightly and turned towards the man as soon as possible. "What is it, Blue?"

"Even though I had always wanted to see Terra with my own eyes, I never expected myself to be dead, by the time I see it." Blue smiled. Tony slapped his head and was incredulous at Blue's statement.

"Can't you be thankful, at the very least? You could see Terra now, right? I don't even think dead people could see the living, or—even more impossible—their dream." Tony grunted, folding both of his hands.

"Yes, yes. Of course…" Blue chuckled again. Several seconds after chuckling, Blue's chuckle died out, leaving the eerie stillness surrounded both Müs. The pink-haired soldier standing beside him didn't bother to break off the silence—Blue was about to do it anyway, as he felt strong thought wave from the former Soldier. Sooner or later, Blue will have to break the stillness—Tony knew this.

"How is Physis?"

Tony had been ready to answer this question.

"She's fine. After your death, however…" Tony paused for several seconds, particularly eyeing the seemingly unending plain lying before the window. "She lost her Mü power. I guess you know this too well, don't you?" Tony rolled his eyes, wondering what else the red-eyed Mü would ask.

"I know." Blue curtly responded, not satisfied at how Tony answered the question. For God sake, Tony should have told him something he did not know. The white-haired Mü gave the soldier a meaningful look while his thought wave traveled to the pink-haired soldier.

Tony sighed adamantly, before folding his arms neatly. "You should be more specific about your question, Blue." Tony rolled eyes. But as the orange-orbs saw Blue's threatening glare, Tony felt he could shrink at the very spot.

"She's fine! Apparently, almost the kids in this building loved her and sometimes called her mother. Some even called her Goddess! There!" Tony ranted conspicuously. There goes the cool image he had kept for the last 50 years; and that all can be happened just by a threatening look from his ancestor.

"Had she been happy all this years?"

The next question was unexpected, but still answerable.

"Yes, she had. Even though at first she couldn't let go of your death, she learned to move on." Tony simply answered, remembering the times when Physis was overwhelmed by her emotion that her thought wave made his heart shriveled.

Blue made a chuckling noise, which made Tony curious. What's so funny about all this? This is not a laughing matter!

"Physis had done it." Blue sighed, relieved at the news. The red-eyed Mü turned toward Tony, gazing firmly at the orange-orbs. "…Why hadn't you, Tony?"

Tony did not answer Blue's question. Instead, the pink-haired soldier averted his sight from the red-eyed man, deciding that the panorama beyond the window was much interesting to see… rather then hearing the troubling question.

Blue made a curt sighed, resolving that Tony might not want to answer the question then. Changing the point of his conversation, He averted his eyes away from the window, before the red orbs reached the sight of the violet-factored Mü.

"Tony, can't you release the 'caged' bird?"

Tony gave the other Mü a meaningful look before replying the former Soldier. "Of course. I'm planning to release her from this… prison… after knowing what type of power she held."

Blue smiled—he believed Tony had a good reason why he had 'caged' the nice girl in this building. Whatever it was, He just believed.

'_Because it's the person you had chosen to carry on our hopes, Jomy.'_

Tony saw the red-eyed Mü mouthing a 'Thank You'. The next thing he knew, His predecessor had disintegrated into nothingness. The throbbing pain he experienced had gone as the 'ghost'—the condensed psionic energy before him—disappeared, leaving Tony standing alone behind the window of the room.

Tony's eyes traveled to the Mü sleeping on the bed. Tony smiled—he had his reasons why the girl had been caged. The violet glow surrounding Melissa had already dissipated. He could see how peaceful her face are—and how his heart ached as he, yet again, remembered other pieces of his memories.

Tony rolled his eyes. Artella died; that fact stung him the most beside Jomy's death. The fact that he'd been a fool for not noticing her feeling, and for not being able to tell her that he also… _liked _her had been one of his biggest regrets. The pain still lingered, even though years had passed.

Melissa always reminded him of her.

'…_What am I thinking? I should be getting back to my room.'_ Tony shook his head. Mourning now would not solve the problems before them. He needs to go—he had work to do.

Tony walked towards the door and reached the doorknob. The pink-haired soldier looked at the sleeping girl form once more and smiled, before leaving the place in a silent manner.

The blonde girl stirred, with smile creeping upon her face. She dreamt of running through endless plains, where she could be free at last.


	2. Jomy

**Violet Factor**

By: masamune11 / Rieska Verriert / shinigami-no-elie

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Toward the Terra' or anything copyright-related to this anime (do I write it right?).

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Chapter 2

Jomy Marquis Shin

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"Tardyon!"

The said gray-haired man grunted as he heard the least-expected voice of the Mü Soldier behind him. Apparently, Tardyon's mood was not in the friendly area—not after what had happened to his daughter several days ago.

"Tardyon! Wait for me!"

Tardyon felt Tony's grip on his shoulder, forcing him to stop at his track. However, the Mü was in a foul mood—stopping abruptly after Tony gripped his shoulder proved it much. Quickly, Tardyon turned around to face the soldier. He's not really surprised to see the tired face in front of him—Tony had locked himself inside his office for the whole week. Sometimes Tardyon wondered how his friend could survive such torment.

"What is it now, Tony?" Tardyon asked, almost mockingly. Tony did not waste another breath—his friend had lost his temper; Tardyon's thought wave was strong enough to penetrate the blocker inside Tony's mind. Whilst the soldier had already been tired from all the work he had done for the past few days.

Tony was worried. Despite finishing all the work given to him right under his nose, it seemed the world tried to bring him dead—if not physically—mentally. It was quite grim news, as he heard of a certain young blond girl caught in an accident when she was studying inside her room. Apparently, the girl had been the very same girl Tony had released 10 years ago—the very same girl who called upon Blue while sleeping soundly in her bed.

And that girl, Melissa, was the daughter of his best friend, Tardyon, who had gotten really protective after the lost of his little brother all those years ago. She may not be his flesh and blood, but he cared for her as a daughter; that's what matters the most. Like a Mü parent would, was able to self-destruct at on the spot… if the said Mü could not control his own emotion.

Tony needed to calm his friend.

"I know how you felt about Melissa. But Tardyon, restrain yourself! Your thought waves are strong enough to make others collapsed!" Tony cried as he grabbed Tardyon's, just to anticipate that the pink-haired soldier might have to shake him off. Apparently, it did not knock some sense into Tardyon.

"That's exactly the reason—" Tardyon quickly pushed off the weight upon his shoulder—Tony's hands—and gazed sharply at the Soldier's face. "—why I must go, Soldier. The sooner we investigate the accident, the sooner we'll have information to knock off the dastards that hurt my daughter!"

Tony frowned. Tardyon was definitely being adamant at the very moment; Tony was not surprised—any parent would react the same way, wouldn't they? The flame of anger gleaming from Tardyon's eyes had not disappeared yet; this made the pink-haired soldier sighed once more, before regaining his straight composure.

"Request rejected. We will prepare our self for now to investigate the location of incident at dawn, tomorrow. This is not discussion, Tardyon. It's an order. If you really wished for your deployment tomorrow, I suggest you should come back to your room and get some rest." Tony's voice was full with determination and strong force. This was the voice of a soldier—strong, decisive, and determined.

The gray-haired Mü, despite being Soldier's childhood friend, felt shrinking under Tony's stern gaze. Before Tardyon could talk some more, he saw the orange orbs softened and smile curving on his jaw. "Don't worry. Melissa is a strong girl. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Flash of fury still lingered in those hard gray eyes. However, they were quickly sealed beneath Tardyon's eyelids—the Mü managed to calm down, even though for only a little. The frequent thought waves entering Tony's mind greatly decreased… And Tony could not help but smirked gratefully. At the very least, he could enjoy the evening without having headache.

"Well…" Tardyon rolled his eyes. "Perhaps I will see you tomorrow, Soldier Tony… That is, if you could finish all the papers stacking on your desk." Tardyon said curtly as he struggled to suppress his emotion. Going berserk is not going to help anyone—least of all, his daughter. Awkwardly, Tardyon tapped Tony's right shoulder friendly (The tap was rather hard, but Tony could understand the grief that his friend had right then.) before passing him. Tony looked at the other Mü's silhouette from the corner of his eyes disappearing as he teleported to God-knows-where.

The wariness about Melissa's condition was now catching him up. As a soldier, he could sneak out of his office and paid the girl a visit. But that would not be the wisest move to choose—for the least, Tardyon should see his daughter first… as a father would. Whilst, Tony could not imagine what would happen if he skipped work for this evening.

Tony let a muffled sigh; he really wished he could skip work for the evening. Knowing full-well that his wish will not come true, Tony decided to walk to his office—using teleportation every time would only make him lazy. Along the corridor, he passed a bunch of people talking about the recent accident.

However, he had not expected the conversation between some Mü personnel about the recent accident which related to Melissa.

"I saw him! It's true! I saw Soldier Shin during the incident!"

And Tony turned to the Mü personnel who voiced the statement. It was a brown-haired teenage girl who seemed to be quite energetic over the story.

"…You saw Soldier Shin?" Tony asked almost subtly, leaving a mark of astonishment in his orange eyes. The girl seemed to be quite surprised when Tony's deep voice intruder their conversation. Her friend's eyes were now gazing at their soldier, wishing that he could stop the madness happening in the girl's messed-up brains—the dead cannot be revived, nor can be called again. Witnessing Soldier Shin alive and kicking is not possible. Soldier Jomy Marquis Shin died years ago, so that the new generation could live.

"Y-yes, Soldier. I'm pretty sure it was Soldier Shin. His face was the same as that in the books!" The asked girl stuttered, a bit anxious at how shallow the Soldier's tone of voice was. Moreover, she could sense Tony's leaking thought wave—it was filled with longing, missing, wonder, and a bit of disbelief.

Tony could already feel the tension rising on the back of the girl's mind. He rolled his eyes—just when he needed information the most, the interviewee was anxious already. Alas, the Soldier said his thanks to her before advancing to a certain room.

His feet did not bring him to the front of his office, though, as he went outside of the office building. Barely making three steps outside, Soldier Tony teleported… to a place where he should not be by then.

* * *

Melissa eyed the window across her ward. What she saw, however, is not the same panorama lingering in her heart. An endless plain of grass always lingered in her heart—a place where she could be free. It always symbolized the freedom she might not have years ago, when she was locked away just because of having the violet factor. The view always hung on window, almost static and unchanging.

What she saw through that window was the endless sea.

How she loved the world 'endless'. It always represented the word 'freedom' for her, the prospect of possibilities and the optimistic part of her admired Soldier. But the sea was not something familiar in her heart. She was, and is, a plain-loving girl. There was scent, and it was not grass. It was the unfamiliar scent of salt water. After several hours sleeping in the ward, she grew disliking the very scent and wished for someone to close the window.

But no one came, not even the nurse.

"Don't they have any nurse to take care of me? Geez…" Melissa mumbled. She would love to close it herself, provided the pain on her right feet lessen much. Alas, she just stared at the window, wishfully thinking that the window might close down if she put enough stare.

"The window would not close by itself and you know that very well."

Melissa was startled to hear an unknown voice, unexpectedly echoing in the ward. Had she really be wandering off so long that she let someone slipped inside the ward? Was it the nurse who had just said that? But what she heard is a masculine voice. As far as she knew, nurses are usually _female_.

Out of reflex, Melissa quickly turned around and tried to find any other person inside the room. She saw none. Was her mind playing tricks on her _again_? Her attention quickly turned toward the boring view of the sea as she saw something so aghast that she could not quite… identify.

Melissa saw a pair of emerald eyes gazing at her own.

The Mü girl was taken a back—her mind is playing tricks with her, and there's nothing she could do to stop it! There was simply no way that a pair of eyes simply appeared out of nowhere. Yes, she must be dreaming—a freaky one, that is.

But those eyes were there, just looking at her gently. Melissa would actually be very grateful of the sympathetic look if there was a person standing there. There wasn't any, so the only thing she could do is clinging to her blanket. Whilst white wasn't really her favorite color, the white blanket seems to be the only thing that could protect her from the weird thing. Melissa could simply slip under the cover to evade that gaze. However, it does not erase the fact that the eyes were still there.

Yet, she still slipped under the cover of her bed. At the very least, she would not see those eyes. She had always wondered why the heck she had not _screamed_ seeing something as weird as this.

"It's nice to meet you, Melissa."

There again the voice, acting as though it knew her. Melissa needed several seconds to process the words. The voice did resemble those she had heard for the last 3 years. But the voice had never contacted her in such circumstance—having a pair of hanging eyes gazing at her is not expected, even in her eyes.

However, Melissa felt that she could trust the voice.

Alas, she appeared slowly from beneath the blanket head first, trying to confirm the very existence in front of her. What she saw, however, was not the pair of eyes which dangle on air. Instead, she saw a man. Those eyes seemed to be his, as it gleams the same light—gentle but stern. Such gaze, filled with determination and gentleness, was something she recognized all to well—Soldier Tony owned the same gaze as the man standing before her.

The next thing she noticed from the man was his blond hair, neatly combed in two directions. His face was more boyish than manly, although the glimpse of his eyes changed that fact considerably. The red cape was neatly worn on his back, resembling that of soldiers—well, for Melissa, it greatly resembles the cape which Tony wears. And the blond-haired man was there, standing with a smile, as though the person had known Melissa for ages.

Melissa's sense was coming back to her. Her rational judgment kicked in—how come someone would enter her ward without her ever knowing? Had he teleported all the way here? Whatever it was, that was rude.

"Who are you?" Melissa could not come up with a more interrogative question. There was a quick silence, before the girl broke it off. Apparently, the very fact when the fresh salty wind blowing past the man did not wave his hair was quite bizarre. Again, Melissa tucked the blanket over her again, noticing the most bizarre thing she could see out of the man—the blond-haired man was _still_ semi-transparent.

"W-what are you!" the violet-factored Mü stuttered while cold sweats are trickling down her chin. She was faced by the eeriest experience she had ever have.

"I…" The man was trying to speak, but some words seemed to be surreal for him that he stopped. There was a quick silence and the boy continued on. "…I was once a Mü, Melissa."

There was a puzzled look mixed with cautiousness painted in her face—the man had not minded it at all. She had the right to be like that. He could sense various questions arising from the back of her head. Alas, there' nothing he could do, because he did not even know how the heck did he get back to the world of living nor why did he heard a distant voice when he was still… there.

There was her voice when he's still in the netherworld. It was her voice that he always heard. It was filled with longing, despair and disappointment—those feelings were compressed into one. Even up until now, those feelings still lingered.

"…Ah, you're not transparent anymore…"

The blond-haired was startled to hear such statement coming from the girl. True, he noticed that his hand had actually materialized completely. It was the sudden statement of the girl that makes him bewildered. Had her fright over an already-dead-Mü-materializing-out-of-thin-air idea dissipated?

"I guess you're not afraid of me anymore, right?" The man smiled walked towards the girl. He could see her twitched uneasily beneath his gaze. He noticed that and sighed inwardly. Afterwards, he slowly knelt so that his eye level is below the girl. Melissa was still clenching on to the blanket, still a bit scared. "I guess you still are… But please trust me. I will not harm you…"

Flash of images flew past his mind—the thought in the netherworld, the voice that had called him countless times and the despair it bears in each and every note. Those are hers—she summoned him here, back to the living world.

"…because you're the one who called me here."

Melissa heard his last sentence, but did not understand the meaning of it.

"…I called you here?" The girl could see the man nodded, rather awkwardly as though he was not sure. "But how? I… yet… what… but you're not a Mü…"

Her last words were barely whisper. The two did not have any clue on how had such event occur. Understanding that Melissa had no more knowledge than he is, the blond-haired man sighed again.

"I thought it was you. Your voice had always been there, echoing throughout the dark, trying to reach someone… That's why I thought I was called for." The man, this time, did not smile. "But… a ghost like me could not trespass the barrier between the living and the dead…How did you bring me here?"

He saw the girl twitched again, but trying to answer the question. He would expect another 'I-don't-know' answer all over again. However, the words never came as the door slammed open. Outside, Soldier Tony was standing. The smile, painted in his face out of glad and curiosity, was soon replaced by a surprised look.

For those few seconds, Tony's mind barrier broke down. At the time, Melissa felt what's like to be in despair of other people—for the first time, she felt the bittersweet joy of her favorite Soldier. It was strictly overwhelming and suffocating.

"G-g-grandpa!"

Jomy Marquis Shin stared at the man who had called him—or so he thought. It did not surprise him much—the pink locks of hair were quite obvious, as it probably belonged to Tony. Jomy was also not surprised to see the look on the current soldier's face.

"It's been a while, Tony."

Those words were expected. However, Jomy's tone was different from when he was standing before as a responsible soldier. It was the same tone Tony heard when he was still a child. Tony could see how his 'grandpa' curved his lips—there was a smile. Even in Jomy's death, Tony was not able to see the last of his smile.

He felt like he was a child all over again.

There was a lingering silence and Tony hoped the silence lasted long. He had so little words to say, especially when someone dear to him was standing several meters apart from him and _dead_. Tony was not able even to return the greeting with even the smallest gesture. He was busied with his thoughts, telling him that it was a dream.

'_But this is not…'_ Tony's eyes travelled toward the blond-haired girl. She was downright tense, but Tony could not sense any emotion nor thought waves from the girl—either the girl was good at creating a mind barrier, or she was so lost at this sight that she could not even project any expression. His eyes widened though, as he realized the violet glow surrounding the glow. Melissa seemed not to notice that, seeing at how tense had she became.

Tony's expression hardened, realizing what had happened here. Somehow, he missed the part that Melissa was able to do such thing. But what amazed him the most is the fact that she was not asleep during the whole summoning.

"I see…" There were only two words coming out from his lips. The current soldier could not help but feeling pathetic—there were so many things he would like to tell him to the former soldier. Yet, when Tony had the chance to meet his dear 'grandpa' again, the words he'd like to say simply vanished.

Silence fell upon the room. No one spoke—no one could. Each person in the room was dwelling inside his/her mind. They were too timid to break it off, at least until Tony saw Melissa yawned uncomfortably. Tony quickly approached the girl. For years, he had predicted on what would happen to Melissa, bearing such uncontrollable power within. Come to think of it, he was against the idea of letting her go—it was all due to his worry toward the probably-dangerous side-effect.

For 3 whole years since his meeting with a former soldier, Melissa had not shown any side-effect due to her unique Mü power. And yet…

"Melissa, you need a rest." Tony said simply. And of course, He did not forget to smile as he tried to reassure the young Mü girl. Before Melissa was about to protest, Tony quickly interrupted her attempt. He realized milliseconds later at how Melissa had glanced at the blond-haired man standing in front of the window. At first glance, Tony could read the awkwardness (and slight fear) she had toward the former soldier. "I'll handle him, so be a good girl and rest. You should recover from the accident."

Melissa was not reassured, even after Tony's attempt. Yet, the fogginess she'd been trying to fight seemed overwhelming. Once more, Melissa yawned, while her eyes were growing weary. Unable to resist, Melissa slowly lay down her head on to the pillow. On the other hand, Tony only pulled the blanket over Melissa, so that the girl could sleep soundly. It took several seconds before Tony could see the brown pair of eyes no more.

Tony's assuring smile quickly turned grim. As quick as how his mood change, Tony scanned the condition of the girl. Melissa's body had not stopped glowing, which means the same thing had happened, just like three years ago. Tony's eyes turned, toward the very existence of his life a long time ago. He turned, towards his dead predecessor—the person who probably was frowning at him right then.

"Who is the young girl here, Tony?"

Jomy's voice was quite startling. To think that his respected person would ask something so casual, even by knowing the fact that they had not met for years. Surely, what would come out from Jomy's lips was supposed to be something more.

"Her name is Melissa." Tony answered the blond-haired former soldier. He let a pause, wanting for Jomy to remember her well—the one who had brought him here was her after all. Then, the green-caped soldier stood. His eyes were still averting the intense gaze radiating from the firm green eyes. And when Jomy's hand lied upon Tony's shoulder, Tony's head turned; his eyes met the stern gaze. "She is Tardyon's adopted daughter… and possessed a rare Mü factor."

Jomy lifted an eyebrow, truly curious at the word 'unique'. '_How unique exactly? Was it unique enough to call me into this realm once more?'_ thoughts were racing inside his head. But something about the detail he'd been given hit him hard.

"T-tardyon's daughter? She's Tardyon's daughter?!" Jomy gasped disbelievingly. The pink-haired soldier did not expect such reaction—after all, what he had told him to be just… fine. There's nothing wrong with a young Mü to be adopted, right?

Images of Tardyon flashed by in Tony's thoughts—how he had been one of his friends liking to tease him until he'd really lost it. Tony soon learned why Jomy was suddenly sullen; Tardyon had been a prankster, back when they're still in Shangri-La. Of course, they were all prankster—but no one had ever beaten Targion and Tardyon's record.

"Yeah, she's Tardyon's daughter… but she, I must be glad about this fact, did not inherit any prankster nature from either oh her parents. Tardyon's sense of prank seemed to be passive enough around her, so there's no… prank-nature induction around the girl." Tony finished his description. And yet, silence seemed to love them both—Tony was still waiting for Jomy to say anything. However, his prediction, yet again, missed, as he saw Jomy's eyebrow lifted again.

"I wonder how you manage to fill in such information without even breathing, Tony…" The horrific face was soon replaced by a smirk. "Yet…" Jomy's gaze hardened, showing that their next conversation would be serious. "Which factor is hers?"

Tony just smirked sarcastically. He averted his gaze from the blond-haired man, knowing what he told to his predecessor might have been shocking.

"She bears the violet factor."

Jomy's emerald eyes, yet again, widened in surprise as the information was slowly stamped inside his head. Jomy somehow knew—the person he chooses to carry on the Mü hopes—almost immediately: The girl had really called him, wanting or not.

* * *

It took almost 15 minutes for Tony to give a general description about what had happened during the years in their home planet, Terra. He told him about how well the Mü and humans are getting along or how Terra had regenerates after several years of abandonment. Tony somehow also managed to fill in details about Melissa and how had he been contacted by Blue due to the violet-factor bearer.

After hearing the general story, Jomy could only stared at the pink-haired soldier. So much had happened and his 'grandchild' had endured much… for the past 73 years. It was a miracle that he could even see the younger Mü again—a miracle which was given to him by _her_.

And now, Jomy felt relieved.

Tony could see his predecessor smiled. His emerald eyes were hidden beneath his eyelids, giving him the face of serenity—the very thing that the former soldier might search, even in death. That smile was not bittersweet; it was filled with satisfaction… and pride.

"You've done well, Tony. There's not much for me to say, except thank you…" Jomy said, softly and gladly. The emerald orbs stared right to Tony who was averting the gaze.

"It's not much and you know it more than anything." Tony muffled. Leading the Mü toward something like peace was not easy. The green-caped soldier always thought, no matter how much he did, what he did may never reach Jomy's level. It was supposed to be Jomy who rule and lead the Mü. Yet, the former Mü gave up his life, so that the others would live a better place.

There was a slight pressure on top of Tony's head. The younger Mü noticed that to be Jomy's hand; the older Mü was patting him—the gesture he had always made years ago so that Tony would calm down.

"What you have done was not something easy to do. What you did was beyond my wildest expectation of myself. What you did…" Jomy's hand travelled to his cheeks, trying to lock eyes with his 'grandson'. The soft-brown eyes belonging to the current soldier were still avoiding those of Jomy's. "…was something a dead Mü could never do. You have accomplished so much and that's a fact."

Tony's eyes slowly met the Jomy's firm gaze. He did not like Jomy's last sentence. He had always looked upon the former soldier, always lived for him, always tried to be a good boy, always tried to do something to make him happy—his life had always been dedicated to the former soldier.

But now, Jomy Marquis Shin was not even in the same world as his.

Tony's eyes caught off an uncomfortable twitch from the blond soldier. For split seconds, Tony had let his thoughts fly. Jomy heard it all, and he twitched.

"Haven't you realized it yet, Tony?" Tony noticed the blond man's stare leaving his. It did not take much time for Tony to realize that Jomy has laid his eyes on the violet-factored Mü, sleeping on the bed.

"Realized what?"

Tony could see smile curving its way on the former soldier's face. Seeing this, Tony could not help but feeling puzzled: for what reason had the emerald-eyed soldier smile?

"That the role had switched?"

Silence, once again, engulfed the ward. What Jomy said did not make sense, at all. Yet, the blond provided him with enough information, at least for the current soldier to process. Tony rolled his eyes—no matter how he processed the information, he could only conclude that Jomy was not making any sense, at all.

"I do not get what you mean, Grandpa." Tony sighed inwardly, noticing the former soldier approaching the sleeping girl. Tony did not follow him though, as he stood there, waiting for Jomy to respond. The pink-haired soldier found himself a seat. Slowly, he sat upon the simple chair provided for visitors and rubbed his temple—the pressure of his work had finally gotten hold of him.

Jomy eyed the sleeping girl form. He had a hunch that the girl could not bind his spirit in this world for much time. Her power—he presumed—could only stand for another few minutes, it seemed.

But Jomy had voice his thoughts—the time that he had been given proved to be more than enough.

Jomy smiled. The violet glow surrounding the girl slowly dissipated; the blond soldier had no more time to spare.

'_There would be time when he would fall and hurt himself. Yet, he would try to stay strong.'_ Jomy's whisper was barely audible, but the Mü had hoped that the girl before her heard him. _'When that time comes, please stand beside him.'_

Jomy slowly turned toward his grandchild. The pink-haired soldier was still rubbing his temple, trying to erase the tiredness he gained from the recent works. The weariness seemed to glue down to his every muscle cells, as though they were trying to give him a warning, the hard way. Watching him acted like such, Jomy doubted whether the said Mü notices his already semi-transparent body, falling apart for each time taken.

For the last time, Jomy glanced at Melissa again. His mouth was forming words; something that might have been his last in his visit.

'_It's all cleared now. You do not need to cry any more, Melissa. Tony will understand, and so will you. So, don't cry.'_

The sea breeze waved his pink locks of hair. When Tony pried his eyes across the room, he could see the blond-haired soldier no more.

Glint of longing and sadness quickly overshadowed the once joyful pair of eyes. He had so many things to learn from the former leader. Yet, he had learned none—at least, he felt that way. Faraway, Jomy's words lingered: whose role had switched exactly? Was it his with the former soldier's? Was Jomy trying to imply someone else?

From the corner of the room, Tony kept his position as he silently eyed Melissa. There was regret, lingering from the bottom of his heart; if he knew the outcome would become such, Tony would rather not see his predecessor. But the feeling itself was overshadowed by wonder, especially about what he had heard.

Afar, he could see how Melissa breath evenly, innocently unaware of the turmoil which slowly forming inside the soldier's head. Tony could not blame her—he owed her much. Not to make her worry is the least he could do. What would happen if she knew that her soldier was actually trying to keep himself strong? What would she say when he was in tight spot?

'_The role had switched?'_

Tony's eyes widened. He remembered those days when he would go all rebellious against Jomy upon some silly matter. He remembered how concerned he become when the soldier decided to go and face GrandMother. He remembered how his tears flowed down his cheeks when he saw Jomy, drenched in his pool of blood, barely whispered his last words.

He dedicated his life for him. Then, he dedicated his life for his _wish_, just like Jomy had lived his life for Blue's dreams.

And then, the girl came.

She admired him, looked up on him, respected him deeply, loved him… dedicated her life for him silently.

Tony sighed while smiling toward the sleeping girl form. "…Indeed, the role had switched."

With such simple comment, Tony got off the chair and walked towards the door. His hand reached the doorknob and opened the door. To his surprise, Tony saw Tardyon standing in front of him, taking along a basket of fruits. He could see his friend's eyes widened.

"To—Soldier? Aren't you supposed to be at the office?" Tardyon blinked. His eyebrows quickly quivered—he felt something had been out of place, like he had missed something important. Tardyon saw the smile on Tony's face and could predict what he will say.

"I decided to pay your daughter a visit. It was wonderful."

Tardyon saw the soldier walked past him. Barely taking 3 steps, he warped, apparently toward his office. The slight blank feeling that Tony emitted puzzled Tardyon. Yet, such feeling should be normal. It was assign that a Mü is in a perfectly calm state. Tony used to do it every time, so why had it bothered Tardyon so much?

His eyes wondered throughout the room before he went inside. What he noticed firsthand was not the window which was left opened. It was a certain mutter from his adopted daughter, which quickly turned him to smile.

"Thank you very much, uncle…"

Tardyon did not matter who the man in her dream was—so long as he could see her smiling, it meant the world to him. Beneath those eyelids, Melissa saw a certain blond man smiling at her.

In her sleep, Melissa smiled again.

* * *

A/N: … Okay, I think I over-write the whole thing, again. *eyeing the word count* Whew, 5000 words seems to be a bit too much.

I was planning to make 3 chapters for this story. Further changes might apply though, because I'm working on it. Uh-huh.

As for the ending, I really did not have any idea… nor did I have the ability to end a chapter properly. So, yeah… I suck at closing this chapter (=_=a);;

Reviews are welcomed, thank you (~'w')~ ~('w'~)


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